Face shields no longer required for areas under Alert Levels 3, 2, 1

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to lift the mandatory use of face shields in areas under Alert Level one to three.

In a pre-recorded talk, Duterte said “Ang decision ko is okay, tanggalin nyo na yung shields.” However, he adds that this will only be towards the shields but not the mask. He shares that the face mask would remain part of the day-to-day safety measure because the virus will be in the Philippines for a long time.

“You have to obey what the government will tell you to do because it’s for the good of the country and for you. Sumunod lang kayo,” he said.

On Monday, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea issued a memorandum detailing the voluntary use of face shields in places with a relatively low COVID-19 alert level. According to the memorandum, the use of face shields in community settings shall remain mandatory in areas under Alert Level 5 and granular lockdowns.

For places under Alert Level 4, local government units and private establishments are given the discretion to maintain or remove the wearing of face shields policy. People residing in places under alerts levels 3, 2, and 1 can voluntarily use the face shields as their added protection.

Source: PNA GOV